A versatile cis-acting inverter module for synthetic translational switches

Abstract

Artificial genetic switches have been designed and tuned individually in living cells. A method to directly invert an existing OFF switch to an ON switch should be highly convenient to construct complex circuits from well-characterized modules, but developing such a technique has remained a challenge. Here we present a cis-acting RNA module to invert the function of a synthetic translational OFF switch to an ON switch in mammalian cells. This inversion maintains the property of the parental switch in response to a particular input signal. In addition, we demonstrate simultaneous and specific expression control of both the OFF and ON switches. The module fits the criteria of universality and expands the versatility of mRNA-based information processing systems developed for artificially controlling mammalian cellular behaviour. Artificial genetic circuits have been designed to enable precise control of cellular behaviour and phenotypes. Saito and colleagues present a new RNA module that can invert the function of a translational OFF to an ON switch and demonstrate its utility in mammalian cells.